Magic (The Eighth Trial)
Magic fufills a unique role in the Eighth Trial, becoming a much more offensive and aggressive skill. History Since the Third Era, magic has changed drastically. The change is believed to have orginated when Dagoth Ur revoked magic from the majority of the population during the time when was conquering Tamriel, in order to defeat the Summerset Isles. However, he left it to his choosen nobility of the Ashen Empire, for their own use. Now, in 4E 1017, magic is much different than it once was. The bloodlines are more deluded, resulting in mages that lack access to all but one school, those that have access to all of them, and some other, more mysterious types... Aetherlings Since Dagoth Ur suspended all magicka from all of Tamriel except to his nobility there are few mages outside of the Great Houses. Those mages most likely have noble ancestors, probably the result of a noble dallying with a serf mistress or prostitute. All other mages are members of noble houses, and recieve training that way. A mage born on the street has to learn on the street, as Ash Ghouls hunt down any none-noble mages. Magic has not changed much from the way it was in the Third Era. However, the bloodlines have been very deluded. Most mages only have access to one school of magic, and in turn are called Aetherlings. While Aetherlings make up the majority of magic users, there is a second kind of sorcerer: Aetherkin. Aetherling Names A Healer is one who uses the school of Restoration. An Illusionist is one who uses the school of Illusion. An Enchanter is one who uses the school of Enchanting. A Stoneweaver is one is uses the school of Alteration. The term Stoneweaver implies the user specializes in offensive magic. A Demodulator'' ''is another user of Alteration, and one who uses the more mundane spells, such as Detect Life. A Conjurer or Sorcerer is one who uses the school of Conjuration. An Elementmancer is one who uses the school of Destruction. Aetherkin Aetherkin have a stronger connection to Aetherius than Aetherlings, and thus can use all the schools of magic. It is like that for a mage- you can either use one, or all of them. However, there is a pay off. Aetherlings all eventually become masters in their lone school. Aetherkin, however, have to spread there attention out over all the schools and thus most only reach about an adept skill level in each. The combination of all that skill though makes Aetherkin inherently dangerous, but not so much that a normal man with enough skill couldn't equal one in a fight. Aetherkin tend to roam the rooftops of cities at night, going about business of their own. They purchase Nightingale armor from the Thieves' Guild, as sign of their status as Aetherkin. There is an unspoken agreement that one should not bother a person in Nightningale armor- they are likely to tear you apart with their mind. Ash Clairvoyance What really makes Aetherkin dangerous is their access to the spell "Ash Clairvoyance." Created by Dagoth Ur when he ascended into godhood, Ash Clairvoyance allows one to know their enemy's moves before they make them. This can make a skilled enough Aetherkin virtually invincible, dodging every attack as it's made, and knowing exactly where their enemy ends up giving the Aetherkin the exact spot to plant their spell or blade. The only way to combat Ash Clairvoyance is for another Aetherkin to cast it themself. Since both Aetherkin are experiencing Ash Clairvoyance, the spells cancel each other's abilites out. However, Ash Clairvoyance works in a manner similar to Ash Guardian- it requires the expenditure of a Heart Stone to cast, and the power trapped in a Heart Stone determines the length of the effect. Using Ash Clairvoyance in combat requires strategy and competance- many an Aetherkin have died for not packing enough Heart Stones or for using them at the wrong moments. See also Mages in the Ashen Empire Ashlander Magic Trivia * The purpose of changing magic from a pure tactical to tactical-combative skillset was to make mage versus mage combat more intense, make magic users more dangerous, and for in-roleplay/lore reasons. Category:Powers and Abilities Category:The Eighth Trial Category:Magic